The Last to Know
by madamemoonyblues
Summary: No one ever tells James anything.....or is it just this one thing, a connection between the girl he loves and the boy he loves to hate? He's about to find out something he never wanted to know..... Rated T in case a later chapter needs it, if i write them
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sev (don't make me think about it, I might cry), Lily, James, Remus, or the rat fink Peter. I don't own anyone or anything that you've heard before. I'm not sure if I own the plot, as someone has probably written something quite close to it. However, I can assure you that I do NOT own my brain or my writing hand, as they have both been taken over by my ravenous plot bunnies (who just arrived yesterday).**

**A/N: This takes place in fifth year for Marauders, etc. When in fifth year will become apparent through dialogue in the story.**

The Last To Know

Chapter One: The Last to Know

He paced.

He had become quite proficient at pacing, as it had recently become one of his frequent pastimes. He paced at night, between classes, in alley at Hogsmeade. He paced while he waited for her.

She ran.

She was easily becoming a very skilled sprinter, as lately she was called on to run often. She ran at night, between classes, down alleyways in Hogsmeade. She ran so she could get to him.

"Severus!"

She flew into his arms, almost backing him into the stone wall behind him. He buried his face in her darkly flaming hair, breathing in the smell of cinnamon. Reluctantly, he let her out of the restricting embrace, and she looked him in the eyes.

"It's been too long, Sev," she said, frowning, a deep crease forming in her forehead. "It's been much, much too long. I was under the distinct impression that you were avoiding me."

"After that stunt you pulled? It was only necessary that we not be seen together. If you run around defending me, everyone's sure to find out…I can't risk that." He tried hard not to meet her gaze. He knew the all-too-familiar round of questions was approaching.

"Remind me why we have to hide. What's so wrong about us? We're just _kids_! Is it James you're afraid of? Because if it us, you should know by now, I feel absolutely nothing for that conceited little -,"

"Please. Severus Endymion Snape, afraid of pitiful Potter? You know better than that. But you know as well as I that NO ONE would be happy to find out about us. It's just how people are. We already tried it once, with your friend -- what was her name? Alice. It really didn't go over well. It was a superb memory charm though….."

Lily simply sank down the opposite wall to stare up at him. After a few seconds of his piercing gaze, she turned her head away, and a silence washed over them Severus turned away, staring down the corridor, when he heard her give a small cough. She spoke in a voice that was trying hard to be both a whisper and a scream. "You didn't have to call me that, you know."

A brief look of confusion washed over his pallid face. Staring down his crooked nose, a badge of his father's heathen rages, he turned to face her, only to find the back of her head.

"Call you wh --?"

She whipped her head around, and her feeling were written all over her face. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

"You can't…..You know….. I didn't mean it. I had to say something, it was the first thing that came. Blame it on the filth I bunk with every night, and the way they go on." Her face was unchanged, and he continued to flounder under her gaze. "Please…._Lily_!…..You know I would never honestly call you that. How can I talk about blood, when my father, may he rot in hell, was as much a Muggle as your parents are?"

"It doesn't change the fact that you said it. I swear sometimes I think you're as bad as the others…." She raised an eyebrow, determined to look intimidating, but a wide grin gave her away. Her emerald eyes twinkled in the dark corridor, and a smirk crossed Severus's lips.

"Well, I could be worse."

"And how's that, exactly?"

"I could be Potter."

The two laughed, a blend of her light, tinkling twitter and his strange, barking laugh. Severus slid down the wall near her, and as she laughed, she took his face into her hands.

"Kiss me, before I die laughing."

Peals of laughter could be heard through the large wooden door. James Potter backed slowly away, shocked. He rumpled his hair, trying to make sense of what he had jut heard. Realization washing over him, he broke into a run. He attracted many stares as he raced quickly towards Gryffindor Tower, alternately muttering "Snivellus and Lily?" and "Kiss me?"

He panted the password to the Fat Lady, who was looking very disapproving as he held his knees, coughing until the portrait swung open. He quickly climbed up through the hole and spotted his friends, seated in the spots closest to the fireplace, which sat unused on this warm day. He managed to slide to a stop, and frantically waved his arms in front of their faces.

"Padfoot….Moony…Snivellus…..with Lily….laughing and….kissing…..how?" He had caught his breath by now, but he couldn't seem to put together a full sentence in his bewilderment. Remus Lupin tilted his blue eyes upward and simply shook his head.

"Tell me, Prongs. How's it feel to be the last to know?"

**A/N (Again): Well, that's chapter one. I have started up a second chapter, with no idea of where this is going. My question is, do you think I could leave it like this? I really think it's quite funny if I end it here. Tell me if you want more, or if I should leave it a one-shot.**


	2. James, the Conspiracy Theorist

**Disclaimer: Not mine. If I were Jo, trust me, the books would be quite different. For one, this story would actually be a part of the books. And the main character would be Severus Snape. J**

**A/N: I decided I should at least give a real fan fiction a go, so I decided to work on this second chapter. If it's horrible, it's because the plot bunnies were only here to show me the beginning, and now I am floundering about on my own, drowning in overused Lily/Snape plots, and choking on my studio audience laughter. Flame me if you wish, but be forewarned……..I DON'T CARE!!!!! Enjoy!**

Chapter Two: James, the Conspiracy Theorist

James Potter, who currently looked strangely like a goldfish, was lost for words. He simply gaped as Sirius and Remus laughed, slapping their knees and wiping tears away. Even Peter was tittering from his spot across the room. James opened his mouth to test out words as the laughter died down, but a final snort from Remus set Sirius off again. It could go on forever.

His lips formed the only words they could find. "Shove over!" Moony, who was a lot calmer than Sirius at the moment (or rather, any moment), shifted to the left, creating a space for James to sit. He flopped into the space between his friends. Sirius gave a final contented sigh and turned to face him.

"I was wondering how long it would take you, man," he said, nudging James in the shoulder with an abnormally sharp elbow.

"Oh, you be quiet," Moony commented, wiping his still streaming eyes and peeking around James. "I had to tell you, at least he found out on his own." Sirius attempted to look hurt, but was apparently too jovial, or else too lazy, to care.

James looked first at one friend, then the other. He breathed a few times to allow his mind to gather, and finally figured out how to make his mouth go again.

"YOU KNEW!!!!!!!!!!"

A loud clunking noise was heard shortly after this outburst. No one really cared, but if they had bothered to look around, they would have noticed one Peter Pettigrew, lying on the floor, apparently passed out.

Sirius laid a large hand on James's shoulder, grinning broadly. "A better question would be, who didn't know?"

At this, James glanced to Remus, who at least had to common decency to look a bit guilty. "Sorry…should we have told you, then?"

James's brown eyes widened until they seemed about to pop. If looks could kill, Remus's dead body would be on the ground, although keeping itself a safe distance away from Peter's body, which was not dead at all, only cowardly.

The hot air blasting from James's nose was beginning to disturb Moony. He scooted a little further to the left, and tried to look innocent. He knew that he should say something, but what was there to say? He twisted his face into what he hoped was an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Prongs. We thought you'd be unhappy….which you apparently are…..and it's not really that important, is it?"

"What do you mean, _not important_? I've been trying to get Evans to go out with me for…." he paused and attempted to count on his fingers, giving up after putting down the first three. "Oh, who cares how long it's been! She's with Snivellus? And how, exactly, does everyone know _except _the person who wants to know the most?" At least now he felt a bit better. He drew a deep breath, preparing to start ranting again, but Sirius spoke up.

"Y'know Evans's friend, the quiet one…..Alice? Well, you see, she -"

"Are you trying to set me up with Alice to take my mind off Lily? Are you crazy? What does Alice have to do with ANYTHING?! What I'd like to know is how you two oafs knew about the…..the thing that's been going on right under my nose!"

Remus sighed from his other side, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop the headache the James always seemed to cause. "James, he's not trying to set you up with a Hufflepuff. Alice came around one day, said she couldn't remember anything. I recognized right away that it was a memory charm. I figured that a student did it, and I knew I could reverse it….and when I did she just started vomiting up a story about Lily and the grease spot. We would have told you, if we hadn't known you would…well, do this."

"How long ago was this? And who else knows? Does the whole school know except me, is that it? Or have you kept it to yourselves so I'd be less likely to find out?" James ignored Padfoot's open mouth and started up again. "Are you sure she's telling the truth? What if this is one of Evans's attempts to get me away from her….she thinks that I'll just leave her alone if she's taken….and you two are apart of it! Quit plotting!" It took James a full two seconds before he realized how stupid that theory was. In that two seconds, a few things happened. First, Peter managed to get up and wander over to the couch, where he was ignored. Secondly, and more importantly, Lily Evans walked through the portrait hole.

**A/N: Okay, I have no idea if Alice was a Hufflepuff or not, but that felt like the right thing to put……I think I might be trying too hard to be funny. Am I? I've only gotten one review, from a friend of mine, but I really want to write this…so I am. Maybe you all will decide to start reviewing once there are more chapters. I will be patient. Besides, I only like to put these up because it makes me feel accomplished. And because I think my plot bunnies are coming back to gnaw on my right hand again…..they want a serious showdown between Lily and James….Oh well, we'll wait and see, won't we? R&R!**


	3. Irony is NO Fun

**Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own the freaking characters! If anyone asks me again, I will promptly stick them into my story and have them killed…..by Remus on the full moon. ;) Anyway, really I don't own it.**

**A/N: So…..I'm back at it again. Still not getting much attention. Maybe I should change the summary? I dunno. Anyway, here's chapter three for you, the plot bunnies demanded a confrontation of sorts, so here goes!**

Chapter Three: Irony Is No Fun (And Neither Is a Slap In the Face)

"Evans!"

The smile on Lily's face immediately fell away. Some people would say it was because she hated James. Others are idiots, because why else would she go from happy-go-lucky Lily to I-don't-care-if-I'm-sent-to-Azkaban-I'll-rip-your-throat-out-with-my-bare-hands Lily?

"Not in the mood, Potter. Try again tomorrow, I might feel like hexing you into oblivion then. Or perhaps I'll simply ignore you. So much easier to pretend you don't exist." She paraded off towards the stairs to head to the girl's dorm, when James caught her shoulder.

"Tell me, Evans, how is dear Snivellus today?"

She barely suppressed a gasp. Why would he ask her…..how could he..? Oh well, there was a plan for things like this. Deny all accusations and insult like there's no tomorrow.

"How am I supposed to know? I thought you knew it _all_, Potter, but apparently you've had your head deflated a bit. I'll be going now." She turned once again, and got up two steps before James had her shoulder again.

"Oh, no you won't. You know, one would think that snogging in an empty corridor with someone would give them some idea of how the other person is." James was sure that he had not made sense at all, but the desired effect was achieved. Lily's face was now fighting with itself over whether she should look angry or confused. It was not very attractive, but of course, it being Lily, James still loved it. She finally decided on angry and ripped his hand from her shoulder.

"One, don't touch me! And two, WHAT?"

James stood momentarily in awe of the girl in front of him. She managed to be beautiful even when she was angry…..in fact, she was probably more beautiful this way, that's why he bothered her so often. When he snapped back into himself, he realized that he should be yelling, and proceeded to do so.

"I heard you today….I didn't know that grease was capable of laughing! At least I finally know why you won't go out with me! You have horrible taste in guys, you know, but on the bright side, you'll never have to buy cooking oil!"

He didn't know it was coming until it hit him. Lily's pale hand hit him full force across his left cheek, almost knocking him sideways and onto the floor. His hands flew to his face, which was rapidly developing a red mark exactly the size and shape of a girl's hand. Sirius snorted from his spot on the couch, and was quickly reprimanded by Remus.

"I won't go out with you because you're an arrogant, ugly git! You're nothing but a big bully, and whoever told you that you were funny was seriously mentally disturbed. Please, for once, could you find someone else to bother, and just _leave me the hell alone_!" She turned and ran up the stairs, desperate for an escape. She was in the dorm with the door closed before James could even open his mouth. Which he, of course, still did.

"I'll get you for that, Evans! I swear I will!" He tried as hard as he could to be angry, but the deep, sinking, mopey feeling in his chest prevented it. He turned away from the stairs to face the back of the sofa, where both of his friends (and one annoying fan) were staring at him.

"What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. Moony stared blankly at him, elbows resting on the chair's back, and tried to make sense of what had happened. Padfoot tried very hard not to smile, and gave James a look that was quite unidentifiable. Wormtail squeaked. All three of them were very frustrating, from James's point of view. He had no more time for them. He walked to the boys' stairs calmly, headed for the dorms, and returned two minutes later with his broom in hand.

"Where -?"

"Quidditch pitch," he said waving Remus off. "Don't come down. I might be back. I might not. Don't wait up."

And that was that. Remus went back to doing Sirius's homework, Sirius went back to charming random bits of paper, and Peter, deciding that the room was not interesting if James was not in it, climbed the stairs to the dorms and quickly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, James Potter was making his way down the corridor, running into random people and not stopping to apologize to any of them. He had almost reached the front doors when he ran into another of these annoying roadblocks, but was surprised when it did not move. He cast a glance up through his bangs, to find Old Slughorn standing before him.

"Sorry, Professor," he muttered, dodging a bit to the right to carry on.

"Wait a minute, son," Sluggy said, moving in front of the boy once again. "I wanted to talk to you about your Potions mark…..can't get many jobs with a P, can you? OWLs are coming up, and I was considering offering you a tutor. Perhaps Ms. Evans…."

"NO! I mean, no thank you, Professor, I'm just fine without _Evans_, thanks. Now if you don't mind, I really need to get through, Quidditch awaits." He dodged to the left this time, but still found himself blocked by the rotund man.

"Well, if you won't take it willingly, I'll just make it mandatory. But since you don't seem to be very fond of Ms. Evans, I'll set you up with someone else. I'll see you tomorrow night in my classroom, boy, around 8, and don't wait around."

At this, the man walked off, leaving James's path to the door clear. Or, mostly clear. Before he'd had a chance to really get going again, he had rammed into someone else.

"Watch where you're going, Potter!" It was Snape. He looked as if he was in a particularly good mood, and was up for a bit of snarkyness.

"Oh, shut it, Snivellus. Better things to do then bother around with you. I really don't think everyone in the hall would be pleased to see your underwear _once again_. Now clear off, I have places to go." He pushed easily past the thin boy and out the doors. He wasn't aware that behind him, Severus Snape was smiling at the back of his head. His day just couldn't any better.

"Ah, Mr. Snape, I was looking for you. Would you mind coming to my classroom at 8 tomorrow night? I believe Mr. Potter could use your assistance in my subject."

He was not a big fan of irony. He cursed at himself as he made his way down into the dungeons. Perfectly good day, ruined by Potter, once again.

**A/N: Well, chapter three, by the demand of my plot bunnies, who I don't think I can call bunnies any longer. If they are bunnies, then they have been infected with rabies and are now crazy Cujo bunnies. I was very pleased with the slap. I hope this didn't get too funny, because if it did, I'll never be able to take it anyplace serious again. Anyway, I still need reviews! I am officially addicted. I mean, I've written 3 chapters (well, actually this one and most of the second one) today and I'm not getting appreciated. Eurgh!**


	4. Potter and His Necktie

Disclaimer: I hardly ever own anything I write. The only thing I ever write about that I truly own is me. So unless a fat girl shows up and starts glomping Remus and Sev, then you can safely assume that I don't own it.

A/N: I wrote a chapter! Actually the first few paragraphs have been up since I put up the last one, but I never had the time to finish it, what with Super Bowl preparations and whatnot. Go Colts! Anyways, here, chapter four of The Last to Know.

Chapter Four: Potter and His Necktie

She was running again. She wasn't aware that at her destination, he was not pacing. The thought didn't cross her mind once. She wasn't focusing on anything but the movement of her legs, back and forth, how it always was when she ran. Her hair was falling down, the emerald scrunchie holding only a few bare strands of her auburn locks, but she didn't care.

She skidded to a stop when she saw a professor headed toward her. Ducking behind a coat of armor, she had to suppress a scream as someone caught her around the waist.

"Shhh, the old man'll hear you."

Every muscle in her body relaxed as she recognized the voice. She had been frightened that it would be a professor, the caretaker, or worst of all, Potter. She quietly watched as their danger passed. He spun her around, and she could tell by the look on his face that he was in a horrible mood. She hated to upset him anymore, but it was the reason she had been looking for him in the first place.

"Look, Lil-,"

"Wait. Before you even get started. When I left, yesterday, I went back to the common room. And James was there. He knows, Sev. Or else he's really good at pretending." She cast her eyes to the floor, waiting for his response.

"How would Potter know? He's certainly not smart enough to figure it out himself. Did he say how he knew? Or what he knew?"

"He said he heard us. Heard what, I don't know. We were laughing pretty loud yesterday, but then again, you're not supposed to be able to hear through the door when the -,"

"The Silencing Charm. I thought I had forgotten something. Oh, Merlin. What are we going to do now? We don't have time to come up with a good plan. I can't imagine how he's going to act around me tonight." Severus peeked around the sides of the armor, watching a stray Hufflepuff pass. "If we're not in class, he'll be even more suspicious. Or rather, one of his more intelligent friends will be. I doubt Potter could figure out his own necktie by himself." He moved to step from behind their hiding spot.

"Wait," Lily said, burying a hand in his robes to pull him back. "What do you mean, how he'll act tonight?"

"Oh, that. Old Slughorn, the bastard, decided that Potter needs a tutor, and I'm the unlucky winner. I have to show up at the classroom at eight tonight. And he didn't say anything about when I could leave…"

The rage that flooded his eyes scared Lily a bit, but she knew that it would pass soon. He had told her, in a rare moment of post-giggling soul-bearing, of a talk he'd had with his mother before she died. Eileen (for that is what he had called her, not mother) had asked him, after a particularly horrid encounter with his father, to never be as violent as he was. He, although only eight years old, had taken it very seriously, and hadn't laid a hand on anyone since. He never hesitated to hex or curse, but she knew as well as he did that he would never throw a punch.

She watched what color had appeared in his face drain and his sharp features relaxed. He carefully freed his robes from her grasp and grinned. "Transfiguration waits for no one," he said, giving her a peck a on the cheek. With a final dramatic glance, he swooped from behind the armor and into the empty corridor.

Lily smiled as she watched Severus get smaller and smaller. She smiled, not at him per se, or at his leaving, but at her curious situation. She was the girlfriend of one of the most hated boys in school, and she was loving every minute of it.

A/N: Hi everyone! Okay, before I get serious, Sev grinned! Yay! Okay, I'm done with the exclamation point key. For now. If anyone's interested in the bit about Snape and his mother, I'm writing a sort of one-shot/short story, featuring old Sevie visiting the memory, it will be finished and up son. It is post-HBP and compliant. Anyways, enjoy chapter four, chapter five will be up on my whim. Or whenever I'm ungrounded and not assigned anything in computer (I'm skiving off two assignments to post this).


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